Overview of the Collection
Historical NoteThe Office of Urban Conservation was created in 1975 as part of the Department of Community Development (DCD). It was founded in an era of citizen protests against a proposed urban renewal program that would have demolished Pioneer Square and Pike Place Market. The office’s mandate was to coordinate Seattle’s historic preservation programs and administer the city’s landmark boards and historic districts. When DCD was abolished in 1992, the office became the Historic Preservation Program in the Department of Neighborhoods. Pike Place Market was established in 1907 to give local farmers a venue in which to sell their produce. It thrived for decades, but began to decline during World War II due to the effects of a major fire and the internment of Japanese American farmers. In the 1960s, urban renewal plans aimed to demolish the market and replace it with office towers and apartments. Citizen opposition, led by architect Victor Steinbrueck, managed to derail the scheme. A 1971 ballot measure sponsored by a group called Friends of the Market was passed, leading to the market’s preservation as part of a Market Historical District and listing on the National Register. Today the market is the oldest continuously operating public market in the United States, as well as the most historically authentic. The Office of Urban Conservation, and later the Historic Preservation Program, provided staffing to the Pike Place Market Historical Commission. Content DescriptionMinutes, correspondence, reports, memos, and other materials related to the Pike Place Market Historical District. Series are described more fully below. Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Records are open to the public. Preferred Citation :[Item and date], [Title of collection], Record Series 5754-D[X]. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives. Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The Pike Place Market Historical District Records are arranged into the following series: 5754-D1: Pike Place Market Historical Commission Minutes 5754-D2: Pike Place Market Historical District Subject Files 5754-D3: Pike Place Market Business Relocation Cards 5754-D4: Pike Place Market Historical District Prints and Negatives Detailed Description of the CollectionThe following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection. 4.4 cubic feet ( 11 boxes)
Minutes and agendas documenting regular and special meetings of the Pike Place Market Historical Commission. The minutes report on issues discussed, tasks assigned, and actions taken, and include lists of board members and Office of Urban Conservation staff present. Board business primarily concerned consideration of applications for approval of architectural modifications and changes of use in the Market. Other subjects include District design guidelines, private development projects, parking, and building heights.
4.8 cubic feet ( 12 boxes)
Correspondence, memos, reports, clippings, and other materials relating to issues affecting the District. The files are arranged into two subseries:
0.25 cubic foot ( 1 box)
Index cards created in the planning process for the large-scale rehabilitation of the Market in the 1970s. Cards were created for each business in the Market to document how they were planning to operate during the construction (i.e., move to a temporary location, close temporarily and reopen after rehabilitation, etc.). Cards list business name, address, owner/manager, type of business, rent and utility payments, and other business information. The series serves as a snapshot of all the businesses operating in the Market at this point in time. 0.2 cubic foot ( 1 box)
Photographic material documenting Pike Place Market during the 1970s and 1980s. Images include dynamic street scenes of the market area, market interiors including vendors and stalls, and market exteriors including construction and rehabilitation. Also includes portraits of key people such as the Director of the Pike Project office, the Director of the Merchant Association, the Market Historical Commission architect, Save the Market activists, Market vendors, Urban Renewal representatives, and the former director of the PDA.
SubjectsThis collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Finding aid prepared by Julie
Kerssen
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